APD gives inside look at surveillance camera command center

This New Year's Eve, while thousands of people are ringing in 2014, a handful of elite officers with the Atlanta Police Department will be watching the action too using more than 2,000 surveillance cameras at their disposal.

The city anticipates more than 100,000 people will attend the Peach Drop, and thousands more are at the Chik-fil-A Bowl at the Georgia Dome. If something looks suspicious, officers at the video integration center can pull up cameras and see what is going on.

"If we see any abnormalities during the Peach Drop, we are able to pick that up and closely monitor it," Lt. Leanne Browning said. "We see lots of fights during these times, there can be thefts, or suspicious packages left behind. We are looking for anything out of the norm to make sure everyone has a nice New Year's Eve."

Operation Shield is a public/private partnership where the department has access to their cameras and other cameras private businesses have installed outside. The high tech system is also connected to the city's 911 call center. If a 911 call comes in, officers can find cameras in the area and look at those too.

"This system is a force multiplier for the city of Atlanta Police Department," Browning said. "So, any one of these could be an officer standing on a street corner. This system is the future of policing."

The department hopes to install more cameras and got other private businesses on board. The goal is to have 5,000 to 10,000 cameras hooked into the system over the next five years.